


Conversational Gambits

by DustToDust



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustToDust/pseuds/DustToDust
Summary: Some conversations take a bit of time to get around to where they need to go.
Relationships: William Brandt/Benji Dunn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Conversational Gambits

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an old kink meme and posted under a previous name.

Jane looks stunning in a little black cocktail dress with diamonds dripping from her throat and ears as she laughs at some bland quip. Beside her Ethan in his thousand dollar tux lifts his glass in salute to the supposed brilliant wit and wraps one arm around Jane's waist. Together they present the perfect image of a wealthy man and his pretty little trophy wife.

"Laaaame," Benji's voice groans through the communications line along with the faintest hint of noise that Will classifies as clicking keys. The faint hum of polite chatter from Ethan and Jane's end cuts off immediately as he shifts channels. "Bastard's got enough money you'd think he'd be able to afford a good sense of humor at least."

Privately, Will thought the joke had been pretty good for what it was. An anecdote about the life of a multi-billionaire shipping mogul whose sole concern in life lay in counting profit margins and agonizing about matching Zimmerli socks with Louis Vuitton ties. Still, Will isn't going to protest not having to hear any more of the man's conversation as Ethan and Jane ease their way into wrangling an invite to the man's well-secured summer retreat. One terrible joke at a time.

A cold trickle of water seeps down his neck and Will curses as he readjusts the hood of his not-quite-water-proof jacket to accommodate the wind change. Picking up the compact binoculars he focuses back in on the dinner party in the next building and mutters, "I'm being dead serious when I say that next time, _I_ want to be the one seducing the rich guy."

"Sure," Benji replies cheerfully, and Will doesn't need a visual to know the ass is smirking, "soon as we get one who's good enough to treat our little helper right."

"They're moving back in video range," Will says, watching Ethan and Jane wander away from the one blind spot in Benji's surveillance. He waits until they're out of his range of vision before slumping down on the roof, using the high wall he's been leaning on as a windbreak from the terrible weather. "And what exactly would be good enough for me?"

"I've got visual again," Benji replies bruskly, and Will can hear more tapping as Benji hums thoughtfully. The silence stretches out as Benji works the cameras to keep their teammates in sight. "Well, for starters, he'd have to be an actual rich guy. Not like that poser Jane had to deal with last month."

That 'poser' had been in deep with China and had been rich enough to afford the type of security that was easier to get around from the inside than the outside. Will rubs his hands together briskly, trying to get some feeling back into the chilly flesh. "At this point, I'd be willing to make nice with anyone with a heater, or even a good fire. I think there's some homeless guys a block over with a barrel fire I can seduce. Think they'd give me a cardboard box if I'm real good?"

"See, this is why we don't let you out on your own," Benji sighs theatrically, the clicking pausing. "You're not picky enough. God only knows what you'll come back with if we let pick your own rich guy."

"What can I say? I'm a simple guy, with simple needs," Will murmurs, grinning as he imagines the look on Benji's face at that. It's delightfully easy to draw a blush from the techie, just the slightest hint of flirting is enough to throw the man off. It's actually one of Will's favorite things to do during downtime on missions. "Got anything easy for me?"

The comm is filled with a sputtering cough and a bit of throat clearing. Will bites back a laugh, thankful Benji had cut them off from their teammates because Jane would read him the riot act over a pass that blatant. Might even throw in a few punches to drive her point home too. Her and Ethan really are like a couple of mother bears protecting their cub, constantly reminding Will not to push too far or too often. Not to try to pry more out of Benji than he's willing to-

"And if I did?"

It's Will's turn to sputter at the strangely sly question. He can hear Benji's patented vindictive chuckle through the line, the one he only lets loose with when he's about to unleash a truly nasty virus on a system, and Will grudgingly gives the point to him. "Alright, what've you got?"

"Well, the target isn't as rich as I'd like, but he's got more than your basic homeless guy, so I think you can hope for a bit more than a bit of cardboard," Benji replies immediately. The slightest quaver to his voice giving away his self-consciousness. "Hear he's pretty tech savvy too, that kind usually makes enough to be fairly comfortable."

"He have a heater?" Will asks as Benji stalls out, shivering a little as the winds shift again. Now blowing _over_ the wall he's propped up against.

"Definitely. Central heating, one of those mini portable heaters, and even an electrical blanket," Benji says, clicking away at his board again. "You're really hung up over that point aren't you?"

"I'm freezing my ass off," Will replies bluntly. Tucking his hands up under his armpits. He's trying to remember the many other times he's been this miserable before, and is having a hard time coming up with how he'd coped then. "Can't seduce anyone with a blue-tinged ass and icy hands. Unless the target wouldn't mind warming me up."

"Icy hands, gah!" Benji says and it almost sounds regretful. "Sorry, mate, I think he'd rather throw you into a hot shower than let you touch him."

"Yeah?" Will feels a smile drag his lips up wistfully at the thought. A hot shower sounds fucking amazing. Almost as amazing as being pushed, naked, into said hot shower by Benji. Who would also be naked, because the thought of that? Was enough to get a little bit of warmth to various numb extremities. "And then what?"

"And then what, what?" Benji asks sounding a little flustered, and a little like he'd been thinking too.

"After I've warmed up," Will turns his body to face the rather shitty --according to Benji-- camera on the rooftop. He tilts his head up enough to give it a broad grin, a flash of white that'll be badly pixelated on Benji's end. "Would the target let me touch him then, let me seduce him?"

"Um, yes, I think, yes, he definitely would," Benji mutters almost too low for the comms to pick up. "I- Oh, Dagwood and Blondie are preparing to leave."

Finally! As interesting as this conversation is getting, Will really, really wants to be in out of the weather and in drier clothes. He also desperately wants to be able to watch Benji and pick apart all his physical tics and tells. "Did they get what we needed?"

"No, they didn't," Benji says, half-distracted as the clicking of keys --absent for a while-- picks up. "It's- Wait, we might have- Yes, yes we've got it! Cutting it a bit close there," something hisses across the comm and Will strains to hear anything else. "Alright, you can pull out, Beasley."

"I didn't think that'd be a problem with guys, Elmo," cheesy but he can only work with the lines Benji feeds him. Will wastes no time getting out of there though. The roof access door shuts behind him, locking in place as he jogs down the stairs. The relief from the elements is immediate and Will groans at the first hint of heat. The faint sound that draws from Benji in reply is too interesting for Will to resist though. "So...."

"What?" Benji sounds startled and Will would bet everything he's bright red. "Oh, um, yes, still in the van. Expect I'll see you soon then?"

"So," Will continues as if Benji hasn't said anything as he rounds the third floor flight. "Sure, I couldn't tempt the target into a little touching before that shower?"

"Um," Benji stalls and Will knows he only has half the techie's attention right now. The other half watching carefully as Ethan and Jane extract themselves from the gala event. It isn't really a fair advantage, but he'll take it.

"Just a kiss," Will says, coming out of the stairwell at the ground floor and nonchalantly strolling through the confusing hallways of the apartment building to the front door. "Something to tide me over, until I've warmed up enough to do more."

"I, that sounds," Benji, for all that his attention's split, sure doesn't sound distracted as he answers, "reasonable. Yes, I'm sure that'd be quite doable."

"Good," Will braces himself as he enters the street outside, hunching his shoulders against the weather. Ignoring the pretty looking couples exiting the posh hotel to his right, he turns left and jogs down the street. Stopping by a battered looking van, he knocks rapidly before sliding the door open just enough to slip in.

The abrupt change in light makes him pause for a second to let his eyes adjust. The air inside the van is heavy and hot from the equipment. Will focuses in on Benji who has his back to him. Video feeds open and showing Ethan handing Jane into the hot rod vehicle that had made Ethan's eyes gleam worryingly when he'd first seen it.

Will leans over Benji's shoulder --carefully, pointedly not touching him-- and watches them drive away before he says anything, "So, a kiss is doable?"

"Uh, I-" Benji's fingers fly across the board, shutting down processes, cutting off links, and closing the whole thing down. Even after he's finished, his fingers still move, looking for something to do as Benji pointedly doesn't look at Will. The air seems to grow heavier as Will waits for Benji's next move. "Well...."

_"Oh, for Christ's sake. Kiss him already!"_

It's hard for Will to tell who jumps higher as Jane's voice whips across the comm line.

"Blondie!" Benji gasps out, and Will's close enough to see the red staining the tips of Benji's ear.

_"I've been listening to you two flirt all damn night. Just get it over with and never, ever, use the comms for this kind of talk again."_

"You heard that," and now Will's certain that his own ears are turning red as he closes his eyes. "I thought-"

"Yeah, I, uh, just muted the sound coming from Blondie and Dagwood," Benji turns and offers up a sheepish grin. "Didn't want to compromise the security though so I left our line unmuted, and, uh, kinda forgot about it..."

Ethan's amused snort comes across the line clear as day, and Will lets his head fall back on his neck with a helpless laugh. "Right, anything else you guys need from us?"

 _"No,"_ Ethan says, and the amount of meaning he can put behind a single word is truly awe inspiring. Jane's silence is also very pointed.

Will fishes the ear bud out and powers it off, watching Benji belatedly do the same. They sit in silence for a bit. Benji gently closes the laptop and turned to Will. Taking a deep breath he clasps his hands together, "Well! Now that we've utterly and completely humiliated ourselves in front of our teammates," Benji says with a bright grin that isn't entirely fake, "How about that kiss?"

Will almost asks Benji if the target they'd been discussing is close by, but fingers wind tight into the slick fabric of his coat and yank him down before he can. The kiss is less of a kiss than a collision of their faces before Will finds his balance enough to pull back and soften his mouth. Melding their lips together and licking along Benji's lower lip until the other man relaxes just enough for Will to slide in. The bitter flavor of coffee explodes across his tongue as Benji moans.

"Jesus you're cold!" Benji exclaims as they break apart. Will panting and wanting nothing more than to go back for more, but Benji's arms push him back as the man grumbles, "And wet. You're positively soaked, mate."

"Yeah," Will chases the lingering taste of coffee and stares openly as Benji shuffles up into the drivers seat. Allowing himself to enjoy the way his pants move as he's forced to contort himself into the seat. "Someone said something about a shower though."

The van comes to life with a purr that belies it's battered exterior, and Will watches as Benji looks in the rear-view mirror. Only his eyes visible but they're crinkled up in a smile, "And someone else said several somethings about what would happen afterwards."

All in all, Will reflects as the van pulls away from the curb, it isn't a bad end to a mission.


End file.
